Title: Pay-off Author: Kristen SharpeDate: September 16, 2016Disclaimer: SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, its characters and concepts are copyright to Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc and are used without permission.

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This wasn’t the time to rush, Jake Clawson reminded himself. This had to be right.

Slowly, he let his eyes scan the readouts on his screen, absorbing what they were telling him.

All systems go.

It was time.

“We good, Buddy?” Chance’s simple words burned with excitement.

Jake hesitated, re-read.

“Yeah, everything looks good.”

His stomach fluttered as the pitch of the engines changed.

It had taken two years. Two years of long days and short nights. Two years of as many failures as successes. Two years of frustration and triumph.